Archive for the Concerts Category (19 posts)

Pic of the Week: Country Crooners

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Country music singer-songwriters, Bob DiPiero, Ronnie Milsap, Lorrie Morgan and Jim Beavers perform on the Coolidge stage during the 2013 Country Music Association’s Songwriters Series Concert. Photos by Abby Brack Lewis

The Library of Congress Coolidge Auditorium turned Grand Ole Opry for a night last Wednesday, as members of the Country Music Association (CMA) took to the stage to sing their hits. Bob DiPiero returned to host the latest installment of the CMA Songwriters Series, which this time featured Ronnie Milsap, Loretta Lynn “Lorrie” Morgan and Jim Beavers. The concert series debuted in 2010.

Concerts are recorded and most are later made available on the Library of Congress website. Previous years’ concerts can be viewed here.

Dave Brubeck: A Legend in Life, and After

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  Pianist Dave Brubeck, one of America’s all-time greats in the field of jazz —  and a seminal force in making jazz popular in the U.S. and throughout the world — died today, just shy of his 92nd birthday. The Librarian of Congress bestowed the Library’s “Living Legend” award on Brubeck in 2003, and it …

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Pic of the Week: Hula Hula

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When I was a kid, my dad went to Hawaii for work and brought back grass skirts and shell necklaces for me and my sister. I can remember prancing about the house mimicking what I thought at the time was a hula dance, likely influenced by watching too much “Fantasy Island.” According to the International …

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Bacharach and David Tribute Concert on PBS Tonight!

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Burt Bacharach and Hal David were recently feted around Washington for receiving the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. A tribute concert at the White House will be broadcast nationally tonight on PBS at 9 p.m. EDT (check local listings) as “Burt Bacharach & Hal David: The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for …

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Pics of the Week: I Love the 80s

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On Tuesday, the Library hosted the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) Foundation for its annual event “We Write the Songs,” a night of songwriters performing their own tunes and telling the stories behind their creations. And, some of the performers were a throwback to my fondest memories growing up in the 1980s. …

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Pics of the Week: Bacharach and David Honored with Gershwin Prize

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The Library of Congress rolled out the red carpet on Tuesday to honor Burt Bacharach and Hal David with the 2012 Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. The prize commemorates George and Ira Gershwin, the legendary American songwriting team whose extensive collection resides in the Library of Congress. The all-star tribute concert featured …

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The National Book Festival – Be There, Sept. 22-23

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Heads up, all you fans of the Library of Congress National Book Festival – it’s going to be two days again this year, with more than 100 authors, following last year’s successful launch of the full-weekend approach. The festival will be held on the National Mall between 9th and 14th Streets on Saturday, Sept. 22, …

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A Box for Your Ears

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If you follow popular music, you likely saw in June that Sir Paul McCartney—in Washington to receive the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song—not only sang at the White House but also, the night before that elegant gig, performed at a venue at the Library known as the Coolidge Auditorium. You might also …

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